The Heroes
Zeitoun forms part of the non-fiction works by Dave Eggers, where he synthesises the tribulations of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a page who suffers the consequences of the hurricane Katrina. Abdulrahman decided to be a servant of good hope for the ill fate of the Katrina, where he helps residents caught up by the mess using his old canoe. The eventuality of his service was rendered useless by the aftermath arrest without trial, while his rights were openly denied for being jailed without the freedom of communication with his family members, who had fled to far away city due to the hurricane. On the other hand, “the man who quit money”, who happens to be Daniel suelo, who stood by the roadside, emptied his pockets of the hard-earned savings he had in his pockets and abandoned it all by the roadside. This literary work by mark Sundeen depicts a moneyless lifestyle of a man, who against all odds decided to live while engaging in dumpster diving while feeding on garbage. Needless to say, the man lived in caves situated on public land, which was illegal. The insinuating scenario culminates into arrest and consequent trail, where Suelo argued his case unsuccessfully. This was followed up by a sentence of a fine and community service, but after all these endeavours, suelo settled in another distant cave that was smaller than the previous.
These two icons depict the life of “the hero with a thousand laughs” by Joseph Campbell where the hero is depicted from his refusal to the adventurous call until a supernatural ritual for atonement to the gods aids in gathering of the courage to travel to the unknown. The eventuality of the journey gives the resultant discovery of separation of the known from the unknown, where the victory over the plane and the spiritual symbolises that the disparity between the unknown and the known lies in the notions in the mind. This implies that the separation is more of a thought than it is a reality.
This essay illustrates the reality in the faces of the hero on one part against mythical implications created by the lifestyles of both suelo and Abdulrahman on the other. In addition, the paper justifies the essence of the later as heroic myths in the perception of Joseph Campbell.
Firstly, the call to adventure is universal in all the three cases. The hero has to come to terms with the reality of departure to an unknown world. Although, it is evident that the hero to be has the challenge of tackling the pressure over the decision, he willingly steps out of the door with the quest of adventure, marking the first step as an insight to becoming a hero. Consequently, Abdulrahman is a Syrian American, who ventures into New Orleans with the aim of seeking a livelihood. The character left his hometown to become a contractor and a painter, where he could fend for his family. This spirit of adventure forms the start of a life full of temptations, where after the floods, he decided to stay around in guard of his businesses and the pets (Eggers 12).
It is evident that the decision to stay in the flooded city forms the start of the life of the unknown because contrary to the decision by his family members to flea a flooded city, Abdulrahman decided to stay put to the situation. In contradiction, a banker whose income had flourished through the entire life, Suelo decided to abandon money without caring about the implications. He quits all his savings by the roadside, moves from his home to fend himself on filthy meals in the garbage and even has the courage of feeding on a poisonous cactus just because he does not see the importance of handling money, which he sees as fantasy and the source of crucifixion of immortal life (Eggers 19). Moreover, he decides to reside in caves situated on public land, contrary to the law. This implies that the life of Suelo is like an experiment with his own mortal manhood, although he is determined to bring home his point; that money is vanity. Indeed this is adventure into the unknown.
Contradiction of mythical sentiments in the three literary works emanates from the supernatural aid and the crossing of the first and foremost threshold. It is evident that the hero in Joseph Campbell’s work had some form of supernatural aid to help ease the departure process. This contradicts with the self-ordained characteristics of both Abdulrahman and Suelo, who selflessly leave their homes in search of what they purport to be true life. Arguably, suelo had all his possessions at hand, while the decision to evacuate his home and reside in caves could have been spurred by some supernatural instincts inside his sub-consciousness. The decision to leave a home to a cave, the decision to live Syria for business ventures in US and the departure of the hero defines the first threshold to be crossed by the “heroes” in the myths. It is mythical for one to “quit money” without caring about the social-economic implications, forming the major paradox of complexities in the life of the characters. The reasons behind this lifestyle lie in the fact that the characters wanted to drive home their point (Campbell 26).
The belly of whale forms the transition stage in life for the hero. Here, the hero decides to depart with the crew to the unknown. It is either fateful or luck since to the hero, there does not exist a clear understanding of the end. He believes in the end justifies the means although probability into the end is uncertain. However, the hero and the crew decide to flow off the grounds of the university. In relation to this, the synthesis of the story of Abdulrahman is a probability into the world of the unknown. He decides not to move with his family to seek safety due to the Katrina. Moreover, the transition of his life is justifiable through engaging in rescue missions, where he is arrested in a rental residence. The arrest without trial moves the mind of the reader into thinking about the legality of the rights of the people. This in real essence is a sacrificial lamb to represent unjustified human practices. On the other hand, this level of transition forms the conviction in the mind of Suelo, who moves from reality to live a life of poverty in order to sensitise on the atrocities of worship for money. Indeed, he is a hero since he catches the eye of the author at how they spent life together both in poverty and in wealth. These different forms of transition depict the real life situations, contradicting with the consideration of them being myths. Although they are fairy tales, they depict the truth behind social injustices like racism and adoration of vanity. This does not depend on the eyes of the beholder, but spans truth even to literary minds of the likes of Joseph Campbell, who should conform to the reality of them being hero myths (Campbell 42).
The initiation process in “the hero of a thousand faces” forms the basis of rituals, which integrates into road of trials. This corresponds to the arrest without trial of Abdulrahman. The intrigue of the trials and resultants of the test, where the hero manages to walk without blemish shows that both literary works are mythically heroic. On the other hand, the tribulations that Suelo faces after relinquishing his life with money is the articulation of separation with reality from Campbell’s schema of separation. The dumpsite as food forms the real challenge one endeavours when not in control of resources like money.
Suelo is also sceptical about capitalism and beliefs in religious functions. He sees this as born out of crucifixion of the mind. These sentiments closely link up with the federal system that performed justice on Abdulrahman. The idea that the reader gets out of arrest without trail is the true nature depicted from the need of a supernatural deity that befell the hero. Campbell’s revelation of the need for a father to perform a ritual synthesises the fear in the souls of the hero. The beliefs that the heroes hold as truth is born out of fear. Although Dave Eggers depicts Abdulrahman as being courageous to the extend of staying put to The Katrina, the depiction of the weak will in his faith through seeking for self justice does not form the elements of mythical heroism, it would have been the role of the convicted to spell out the requirements of his rights by law.
The plot of return to breathe of life is seen from “the apotheosis” john Campbell synthesises a form of hope after frustration. It is evident in the work that these are forces of initiation into resumption of normalcy from the spiritual apotheosis. The constraints in the unknown journey seem to be diminishing as the hero in Campbell’s view makes his sacrifice. The heroism in Abdulrahman and Suelo is contradictory to this form of success since in the latter, life after a long journey of transition turns out to be disarray. For Abdulrahman, performing service of rescue to neighbours should have resulted in some compensation whatsoever, however, contrary to this; he is put behind bars and denied the constitutional right to communication with his family that is far away from the city. A change for better also seems to contradict with the situation that suelo faces. Instead of living better without money, his life culminates into feeding on a poisonous cactus. This shows that Suelo is sending out heroic messages even in defeat. Moreover, he comes out as a hero since he wins the passion of the author into rotten melons, enough to subsidise as meal.
It is evident that all the experiences that “the hero of a thousand laughs faced” culminated into the saving of the world through knowledge of the ordinary world and the extraordinary world. This sentiment is revealed through the “the crossing of the threshold”, where there is attainment of greater knowledge. The tribulations in life lead to discoveries, which form the daily lessons. For instance, Dave Eggers shows that Zeitoun is a victim of lack of justice. It depicts how barriers to justice and discrimination of the minority lead to innocent suffering. On the other hand, the author describing the life of Suelo is also a voice of change for better. After identifying that his long time friend had vanished to dusts and abandoned life with money, Sundeen decides not to pick his friend out of themes. He instead joins Suelo in his ominous life. This shows that for one to be a true hero there should be forces working in collaboration. This justifies the grouping of characters like Abdulrahman and Suelo into agents of mythical heroism as they sound as voice of change, just like the hero in Campbell’s analysis where one has to sacrifice and travel to acquire knowledge from unknown places in order to see the line of separation (Sundeen 31).
This line of separation is the transition depicted from “the master of two worlds.” Suelo once lived a life of wealth, having worked in a bank. This is one form of world. While life when he abandoned money forms his second world. Consequently, the likes of Abdulrahman and his wife, who were forced to shift to different places due to natural circumstances like the Katrina had to learn to adjust to new places, which forms part of the daily life, conforming with the sentiment of Campbell’s theory of myths. It shows that the spirit of adventure could result in a positive or negative outcome depending of the factors underpinning the situation.
After all the tribulations that Abdulrahman goes through, he is able to start on a new ground in New Orleans , bearing in mind that the city had all its resources reduced to nothing by the Katrina. This is evident from the way Suelo gets recognition of the author. He gets a compatriot and a friend with whom to collect garbage with and find food to eat without having the need to purchase. Although his new life is contradictory to positive achievements of Campbell’s hero, he helps drive home the point that might see a better future for the next generations.
Conclusively, Abdulrahman and Suelo fall into the bracket of mythical heroism since they do not seem to conform to reality. It is absurd how one can be arrested without trail for assisting in evacuation of neighbours from disaster. It is also hard for a man with dignity to be the victim of consequences through working hard to abandon money by the roadside and live in abject poverty. Moreover, the decision by suelo to shift to a new cave is a falsehood. Consequently, Abdulrahman should have shifted to a new home after arrest without trial coupled with the wreck-aged town; instead, he decides to stay put. This also forms part of the mythical heroes.
